Today we are going to explain how to use a timing system to increase your productivity. This process was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s and is named for the Italian word for tomato…because that’s what the timer looked like that he used as he was creating the process.
Timing
We use a modified version of the official technique that lasts a total of two and a half hours. It seems to be the best combination for our tasks.
- Step 0: Plan—5 minutes—Plan what you are going to do in this round
- Step 1: Research—25 minutes—Gather info directly related to the task
- Rest: 5 minutes—Get away from the task (escape from the keyboard)
- Step 2: Write—25 minutes—Combine and record info collected
- Rest: 5 minutes—Get away from the task (escape from the keyboard)
- Step 3: Flow—25 minutes—Do initial clean-up of work produced
- Rest: 5 minutes—Get away from the task (escape from the keyboard)
- Step 4: Edit—25 minutes—Edit, close, and backup files
- Rest: 30 minutes—Get out of the office (take a real break)
- Loop: Go back to plan the next task
We have found that by doing a couple Loops each day, one early and one later in the day, helps us keep focused on tasks and increases useable output. (The rest of the day we spend resolving the interruptions we’ve set aside—usually just putting out fires.)
How We Use It
We have an agreement here at Turner Editing…if we see someone with a timer running or a “Do Not Disturb” sign posted, we just leave a note on the corner of their desk. We know they’ll get to it as soon as they finish a loop.
Sometimes there are urgent issues that can’t wait. In that case, we are forced to pause the timer and set aside the current task, take care of the intrusion, then restart the same 25 minute Step when returning. Depending on where the interruption came in the Step, that Step may end up getting almost double the time, but with the distraction, it may take all of that extra time to refocus and complete the Step.
If you feel you’ve completed an individual Step but there’s still time left in that Step, you can review what you’ve done so far, lean back and consider what you’ve learned from the process and seek to improve it, or review upcoming tasks to let your subconscious start working on them. There is no stopping early—use the full allotted time to your advantage before moving on to the next Step.
Online Timers
As expected, there are a bunch of different online options to help with this. We’ll list a few and give some pointers.
- Pomofocus has some settings that you can adjust in the free version and more that require the paid version, but you can’t change the sound at all (a ringing alarm clock). Also the volume is so low that you might miss it if you have a heavy hand when you’re typing.
- Tomato Timers has a very nice chime as the end of step sound as well as a pause and reset button.
- Marinara Timer has very big numbers and a choice of interesting sounds.
- Pomodoro Tracker has a choice of sounds as well as some ticking sounds during each step—a bit intrusive. It does have an option to notify you when there’s only one minute left.
- The Pomodoro timer in Online Timers seems to be programmable for a variety of timing situations, but it’s too complicated for common use.
- Eggtimer is fairly straightforward and even has a one-step Pomodoro timer. (If you are daring enough, check out the HTML source and build an entire Pomodoro Loop!)
- My Tomatoes requires a login just to get started, so we didn’t bother to test it.
- Online Stopwatch has too many pushy adverts to be useful.
We find that the Tomato Timer is about as basic as it can get…just a timer, no task tracking, no adverts, few options, but we like it the best just for those reasons. The default settings don’t match our timing, so the first thing we do is change the Long Break to 30 minutes, then adjust the sound and volume. We prefer the Doorbell sound as it isn’t too intrusive—we don’t want to get startled out of a deep concentration by a fire siren!
Physical Timers
Of course, if you want to go with the real thing, plenty of timers are available…some of which even look similar to the original tomato timer! If you prefer a physical timer sitting on your desk, we have to recommend any of the Time Cube timers. They come with pre-set times, so you have to pick the one that has the times you need. We like the purple one, even though it doesn’t have a 25 minute setting. We just use a 20 minute plus a 5 minute stretch, so we’ve got a warning that time is running low. Some of our editors prefer the red one that does have a 25…just no 30, so they take their long break with a 20+10. The Time Cube company even has some lovely cubes made of bamboo for a more natural look.